Remitter Status Research Articles

How Blockchain and IoT-Based Decentralized System Solves ULD Rental Problem of Airlines

This study is devoted to ULD (Unit Load Device) rental among airlines and air cargo terminals at airports through data exchange. When airlines want to rent their partner airline's ULD, they use it after receiving data through its ULD inventory management system. This paper proposes a de-centralized ULD rental solution by combining blockchain technology and IoT (Internet of Things). The airline that wants to rent a partner airline's ULD checks the available inventory information before use and pays the amount according to the time of service. In addition, the smart contract specifies the remittance status to activate IoT on the ULD. Airlines that supply ULDs for partner airlines first create inventory information to provide services. Airlines that want to rent ULDs can check availability and remit rental costs according to usage time in cryptocurrency. The ULD rental service ends when the usage time is over. This ULD rental solution allows all airlines rent out their ULDs to partner airlines in real-time. Also, when a specific airport runs out of its own ULD, it is possible to overcome the difficulties of inventory shortage by renting the inventory of partner air-lines.

Ketamine’s modulation of cerebro-cerebellar circuitry during response inhibition in major depression

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) exhibit impaired control of cognitive and emotional systems, including deficient response selection and inhibition. Though these deficits are typically attributed to abnormal communication between macro-scale cortical networks, altered communication with the cerebellum also plays an important role. Yet, how the circuitry between the cerebellum and large-scale functional networks impact treatment outcome in MDD is not understood. We thus examined how ketamine, which elicits rapid therapeutic effects in MDD, modulates cerebro-cerebellar circuitry during response-inhibition using a functional imaging NoGo/Go task in MDD patients (N = 46, mean age: 39.2, 38.1% female) receiving four ketamine infusions, and healthy controls (N = 32, mean age:35.2, 71.4% female). We fitted psychophysiological-interaction (PPI) models for a functionally-derived cerebellar-seed and extracted average PPI in three target functional networks, frontoparietal (FPN), sensory-motor (SMN) and salience (SN) networks. Time and remission status were then evaluated for each of the networks and their network-nodes. Follow-up tests examined whether PPI-connectivity differed between patient remitter/non-remitters and controls. Results showed significant decreases in PPI-connectivity after ketamine between the cerebellum and FPN (p < 0.001) and SMN networks (p = 0.008) in remitters only (N = 20). However, ketamine-related changes in PPI-connectivity between the cerebellum and the SN (p = 0.003) did not vary with remitter status. Cerebellar-FPN, -SN PPI values at baseline were also associated with treatment outcome. Using novel methodology to quantify the functional coupling of cerebro-cerebellar circuitry during response-inhibition, our findings highlight that these loops play distinct roles in treatment response and could potentially serve as novel biomarkers for fast-acting antidepressant therapies in MDD.

International Labor Migration and Remittances in Nepal

International migration and remittance are major areas of population and development. This study identifies the trend and destination of foreign labor migration in Nepal and highlights the flow of remittance status and its contribution to the gross domestic product in Nepal. This study is based on the secondary data collected from the various national and international organizations. Migration from Nepal has expanded tremendously since the mid-1990s, accompanied by a continuous broadening of the variety of destinations. Nepal has observed a rapid increase of absent population over census periods. International migration for work has changed significantly as is evident in the growing outflow of temporary migration of youths, both men and women, to work in newly emerging economies like Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. Emigration has come to be recognized as an important factor both for changing ways of life of people and for the positive contribution to the nation’s economy. In terms of remittance inflows as percent of GDP, Nepal is the third largest remittance receiver in the world. Taking all these factors into consideration, the only problem with it is that; until now, the government only seems to have adopted policies to encourage youth to find employment opportunities and provide remittance in turn but not for them to invest in productive sector to create more jobs and to retain working age population within the country.

Escitalopram ameliorates differences in neural activity between healthy comparison and major depressive disorder groups on an fMRI Emotional conflict task: A CAN-BIND-1 study

BackgroundIdentifying objective biomarkers can assist in predicting remission/non-remission to treatment, improving remission rates, and reducing illness burden in major depressive disorder (MDD). MethodsSixteen MDD 8-week remitters (MDD-8), twelve 16-week remitters (MDD-16), 14 non-remitters (MDD-NR) and 30 healthy comparison participants (HC) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging emotional conflict task at baseline, prior to treatment with escitalopram, and 8 weeks after treatment initiation. Patients were followed 16 weeks to assess remitter status. ResultsAll groups demonstrated emotional Stroop in reaction time (RT) at baseline and Week 8. There were no baseline differences between HC and MDD-8, MDD-16, or MDD-NR in RT or accuracy. By Week 8, MDD-8 demonstrated poorer accuracy compared to HC. Compared to HC, the baseline blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal was decreased in MDD-8 in brain-stem and thalamus; in MDD-16 in lateral occipital cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and cuneal cortex; in MDD-NR in lingual and occipital fusiform gyri, thalamus, putamen, caudate, cingulate gyrus, insula, cuneal cortex, and middle temporal gyrus. By Week 8, there were no BOLD activity differences between MDD groups and HC. LimitationsThe Emotional Conflict Task lacks a neutral (non-emotional) condition, restricting interpretation of how mood may influence perception of non-emotionally valenced stimuli. ConclusionsThe Emotional Conflict Task is not an objective biomarker for remission trajectory in patients with MDD receiving escitalopram treatment. Escitalopram may have influenced emotion recognition in MDD groups in terms of augmented accuracy and BOLD signal in response to an Emotional Conflict Task, following 8 weeks of escitalopram treatment.

Husbands’ migration: increased burden on or more autonomy for wives left behind?

ABSTRACT Migration of men has important influences on reshaping family and gender roles in left-behind wives. However, it is unclear whether husbands’ out-migration increases the burden on or creates autonomy for left-behind wives. Using new data from Nepal, we examine the associations of husband’s out-migration and remittance status with the work burden and autonomy of left-behind wives’. Results of our multi-level multivariate analyses show that the number of months a husband migrated internationally during the last year is significantly associated with an increase in participation in farming activities for the left-behind wives. Husband’s out-migration and remittance status are also associated with an increase in wives’ number of daily activities outside the home, and leisure activities and media use. In sum, husbands’ out-migration might be good and bad for women, by increasing the burden on wives while also promoting their freedom of movement, leisure activities and media use. Importantly these findings are net of wives’ individual background characteristics, household characteristics and community context measures.

Migration, Remittance and Poverty in Nepal

This paper aims to explore whether poverty rate vary by remittance receiving status (yes/no) households and to explain the association between remittance status (yes/no) and poverty status (poor/non-poor) of households across the provinces of Nepal. Based on third round of Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) data the proportion of remittance receiving households and poverty rate is described. The association between remittance status and poverty status of households' is explained using chi-square test of independence. From Nepal about 56 percent households are receiving remittance. Based on the results this paper argues that the poverty rate widely varies; lowest in Bagmati (20.6%) to highest in Sudurpaschim (45.6%) province, across provinces. Similarly, the poverty rate also varies across remittance receiving households (21.5%) to remittance not receiving households (29.4%). The poverty rate is low in remittance receiving households compared to households not receiving remittance. However, the poverty rate in remittance receiving households across also varies across provinces ranging from 12.9 percent in province-1 to 45.1 percent in Sudurpaschim province. There is significant association [χ2-value=230074.923 is significant (p=0.000&lt;α=0.01) at 0.01 level of significance] between the status of households based on remittance and poverty. The households receiving remittance are less likely (β=-1.283) to be poor compared to the household receiving no remittance.

Migration and investments in the health of children left behind: the role of remittances in children's healthcare utilization in Cambodia.

Remittances, financial support from family members who have migrated for work, are an increasingly important source of income for households left behind in many lower- and middle-income countries. While remittances have been shown to affect the health status of children left behind, evidence is very limited as to whether and how they affect children's healthcare utilization. Yet, this is an important consideration for policymakers seeking to improve equitable access to quality care in settings where migration is common. I examine whether children under age five whose household receives remittances are more likely to utilize higher quality healthcare providers than those without remittances in Cambodia, a country with high rates of migration and a pluralistic health system. The analysis includes 2230 children reporting recent illness in three waves of the Cambodia Socio-Economic Survey with data on migration, remittances and children's health expenditures. I use mixed-effects and fixed-effects regression analysis to estimate the effect of remittances on children's likelihood of entering care with a formally trained provider, and among those attending a formally trained provider, likelihood of using a public-sector facility. Treatment expenditures are lower among households with remittances, while transportation expenditures do not vary significantly by remittance status. In mixed-effects and fixed-effect regression models, children who receive remittances have a lower likelihood of utilizing qualified providers (adjusted OR = 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.44-0.98), though this effect is attenuated in fixed-effects models, and there is no association between remittances and attending a public-sector facility. These findings underscore that remittances alone are not sufficient to increase children's utilization of qualified providers in migrant-sending areas, and suggest that policymakers should to address barriers to care beyond cost to promote utilization and equity of access to higher quality care where remittances are a common source of income.

Remittance Status and Contribution to GDP of Nepal

The research paper aims to analyze the status of remittance and its contribution to GDP of Nepal. The study has adopted the descriptive and analytical research design. The study is quantitative in nature. Most of the developing countries like Nepal depend on remittance as the major source of foreign currency earning. Remittance plays an important role in economic development of a country. Nepal has also long history of international labor migration about 200 years ago Nepali migrant laborers are contributing substantial amount as remittance inflows through legal channel which has positive impact on GDP, per-capita income, Capital formation, education etc. The volume of remittance is much more than the records because, migrants are using illegal ways due to ignorance and difficulty in receiving amount from legal ways.

Assessing Migration and Remittance Status and its Effect on Maize Production in Nepal

Outmigration has been considered a major issue in agricultural production of Nepal. The study aimed to assess migration and remittance status and its effect on maize production. Altogether 682, both migrated and non-migrated households were selected using proportionate random sampling from six representative districts covering four provinces and all ecological domains of Nepal. Primary data were collected through households' survey and focus group discussion using structured and pretested interview schedule. The results showed that 26 percent of households have at least one member living abroad for a job opportunity. Most of the migration was male-centric and Chitwan district ranked first among study districts on migration status. About 43 percent of households received more than two hundred thousand annually as remittance and mostly they used that money in household consumption followed by education and loan repayment. Around 54 percent of households agreed that they were using remittances in maize farming mainly for purchasing chemical fertilizer and improved seed. The use of remittance income in mechanization such as buying/using of corn sheller and power tiller was comparatively very less. The results showed insignificant maize productivity but the fallow land holdings of the migrated household were significantly higher than non-migrating households. The issue of migration and fallow land holdings in maize has become an emerging concern to development worker and policy makers. Therefore, the introduction of efficient maize production system along with value addition program that linked with market targeting youth manpower is an urgent need for effective utilization of fallow land. Moreover, such opportunity also provides an avenue to the productive investment of remittance.

Remittances and household expenditure behaviour: Evidence from Senegal∗

We use different econometric techniques, from propensity score matching to multinomial treatment methods, to assess the impact of internal and external remittances on several household budget shares in Senegal. When only considering the average impact of remittances on the household expenditure behaviour, we find an overall productive use of remittances. However, the impact of remittances disappears when the marginal spending behaviour is considered, i.e., households do not show a different consumption pattern with respect to their remittance status. The marginal spending behaviour therefore suggests that, in the decision on how to allocate expenditure, remittances are treated just as any other source of income.

Assessment of Sexual Desire for Clinical Trials of Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Measures, Desire-Related Behavior, and Assessment of Clinical Significance.

The Female Sexual Function Index-desire subscale is the standard measure for clinical trials of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), but lacks items assessing sexually related behaviors and attitudes toward partner. Counting satisfying sexual events is criticized, but sexual behavior remains important. Mean treatment differences cannot define clinical significance; responder and remitter analyses help. We reviewed measures on sexual desire and sexual behavior relevant to HSDD, and how to assess clinical significance. We conducted a literature review of measures of sexual desire comparing expert-proposed criteria for dysfunctional desire, expert-developed scales, and scales from patient input. Commonly recognized symptoms of HSDD were identified. Results of HSDD trials and scale validation studies were evaluated to extract responder and remitter values. The utility of distribution-based measures of responders and remitters was assessed. Symptom relevance was evaluated as the proportion of symptom sets that included the item; responder and remitter cut points were determined by distribution-based methods. 12 Validated rating scales, 5 scales primarily derived from expert recommendations and 7 scales initially from patient input, and 5 sets of diagnostic criteria for conditions like HSDD were compared. Content varied highly between scales despite compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations for patient-reported outcomes. This disunity favors an expert-recommended scale such as the Elements of Desire Questionnaire with each of the common items, plus a measure of frequency of sexual activity, eg, item in the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System. Registrational drug trials, but not psychological treatment trials, usually give responder/remitter analyses, using dichotomized global impressions or anchor-based definitions. Distribution-based methods are more uniformly applicable to define responder and remitter status. The Female Sexual Function Index-desire subscale measures the most relevant element of sexual desire, but it would be meaningful to include 4 or 5 more sexual symptoms as end points: sexual thoughts/fantasies, frequency of sexual activity, receptivity, initiations, and possibly avoidance of sexual situations. The Elements of Desire Questionnaire and a measure of sexual frequency may suffice. Responder and remitter analyses show the clinical relevance of a treatment and enable comparisons across trials. Pyke RE, Clayton AH. Assessment of Sexual Desire for Clinical Trials of Women With Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder: Measures, Desire-Related Behavior, and Assessment of Clinical Significance. Sex Med Rev 2018;6:367-383.

A Randomized Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor or Both Combined for Panic Disorder With or Without Agoraphobia

To establish the long-term effectiveness of 3 treatments for DSM-IV panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), pharmacotherapy using a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), or the combination of both (CBT + SSRI). As a secondary objective, the relationship between treatment outcome and 7 predictor variables was investigated.Patients were enrolled between April 2001 and September 2003 and were randomly assigned to treatment. Academic and nonacademic clinical sites participated. Each treatment modality lasted 1 year. Pharmacotherapists were free to choose between 5 SSRIs currently marketed in The Netherlands. Outcome was assessed after 9 months of treatment (posttest 1), after discontinuation of treatment (posttest 2), and 6 and 12 months after treatment discontinuation (follow-up 1 and follow-up 2).In the sample (N = 150), 48% did not suffer from agoraphobia or suffered from only mild agoraphobia, while 52% suffered from moderate or severe agoraphobia. Patients in each treatment group improved significantly from pretest to posttest 1 on the primary outcome measures of level of anxiety (P < .001), degree of coping (P < .001), and remitter status (P < .001), as well as on the secondary outcome measures of depressive symptomatology (P < .001), and from pretest to posttest 2 for health-related quality of life (P < .001). Gains were preserved from posttest 2 throughout the follow-up period. Some superiority of CBT + SSRI and SSRI as compared with CBT was observed at posttest 1. However, at both follow-ups, differences between treatment modalities proved nonsignificant. Client satisfaction appeared to be high at treatment endpoint, while patients receiving CBT + SSRI appeared slightly (P < .05) more satisfied than those receiving CBT only.No fall-off in gains was observed for either treatment modality after treatment discontinuation. SSRIs were associated with adverse events. Gains produced by CBT were slower to emerge than those produced by CBT + SSRI and SSRI, but CBT ended sooner.Netherlands Trial Register (www.trialregister.nl) Identifier: ISRCTN8156869.

Rural-urban Migration, Rural Household Income and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas of China

Abstract The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationships among rural-urban migration, rural household income and sustainable development in rural areas of China. The typical case study is done and 288 questionnaires are collected from five villages in Hebei and Guangxi provinces, China. The migration and remittance status, household income and sustainable development of rural areas are analyzed on the basis of questionnaires. Rural-urban migration is becoming a part of routine life in rural areas. And remittance is an important component in rural household income. Rural-urban migration increases the arable land area per labor, which releases the tight human-land relationship in villages. In total, the migration increases the rural household income and accelerates the sustainable development of rural areas.

New treatment options for OCD

Pharmacological management of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is achieved using drugs that inhibit the synaptic uptake of serotonin, such as clomipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Recent studies suggest that the improved tolerability profile of the SSRIs relative to clomipramine may offer a more suitable treatment choice. Escitalopram, the therapeutically active S-enantiomer of citalopram, is the most selective SSRI currently available. In a 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, escitalopram (20 mg) was associated with significantly lower symptom scores at 12 weeks (P<0.01) and increased response rate (Yale-Brown Obsessive-compulsive Scale [Y-BOCS]) (70.2%) compared with placebo (50.4%). Escitalopram (10 mg) was more effective in reducing symptom scores than placebo at 24 weeks (P=0.052). Escitalopram 20 mg was also associated with improved remitter status (Y-BOCS total score ≤10) compared with paroxetine (40 mg) or placebo from week 12. In a relapse-prevention study, 10 and 20 mg escitalopram showed a statistically significant superior effect relative to placebo on time to relapse of OCD with a hazard ratio of 2.74. Escitalopram was well-tolerated by patients with OCD. In conclusion, escitalopram provides significant symptom relief and prevention of relapse during long-term use and deserves consideration as a first-line agent in the long-term pharmacotherapy of OCD.

Citalopram Versus Sertraline in Late-Life Nonmajor Clinically Significant Depression

The aim of this study was to compare over 1 year the effect of sertraline and citalopram on depressive symptoms and cognitive functions of nondemented elderly patients with minor depressive disorder and subsyndromal depressive symptomatology. We recruited 138 consecutive non-demented outpatients of either sex, aged > or =65 years, who were classified as meeting research criteria for minor depressive disorder or sub-syndromal depressive symptomatology using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Subjects were assigned to receive citalopram 20 mg/day (66 patients) or sertraline 50 mg/day (72 patients) orally for 1 year. Patients were assessed at baseline and after 1, 2, 3, and 6 months and at 1 year by raters masked with regard to patients' treatment assignments. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning were administered to assess the course of depressive symptoms and social functioning during the study. Cognitive measures included Trail Making Test-Parts A and B, Wechsler Memory Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and a verbal fluency test. Data were collected from March 2000 to March 2003. The overall completion rate was 72%. Both treatments induced a significant, sustained, and comparable improvement in depressive symptoms and in social functioning. Nearly half of the subjects in the 2 groups achieved remitter status at study endpoint. Significant within-group improvements also were observed in all cognitive measures. Both drugs were well tolerated during the whole study period. Our results suggest that sertraline and citalopram can improve depressive symptoms and cognitive functions of minor depressive disorder and subsyndromal depressive symptomatology in elderly nondemented patients.

Effects of stimulus intensity on the efficacy of bilateral ECT in schizophrenia: a preliminary study

Background: This preliminary study examined the effects of electrical stimulus intensity on the speed of response and efficacy of bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of schizophrenia. Methods: Sixty-two patients with schizophrenia received combination treatment with bilateral ECT and flupenthixol. Using a randomized, double-blind design, the effects of three dosages of the ECT electrical stimulus were examined. Patients were treated with a stimulus intensity that was just above seizure threshold, two-times threshold, or four-times threshold. Assessments of outcome used the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Global Assessment of Functioning, and the Mini-Mental State Exam. Results: Thirty-three of sixty-two patients met remitter criteria, including maintaining improvement over a 3-week stabilization period. The dosage groups were equivalent in the number of patients who met remitter criteria. The low-dose remitter group ( n = 11) received more ECT treatments and required more days to meet remitter status than both the twofold ( n = 11) and fourfold remitter groups ( n = 11). There was no difference among the groups in change in global cognitive status as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Exam. Conclusions: This preliminary study indicates that treatment with high-dosage bilateral ECT speeds clinical response in patients with schizophrenia. There may be a therapeutic window of stimulus intensity in impacting on the efficacy of bilateral ECT, which needs further study. A more sensitive battery of cognitive tests should be used in future research.